This weeks reading from Medina’s, Brain Rules (2008), was eye opening! I’ve always been familiar with the harmful affects of stress but had no idea the full extent of its impact! I can usually tell when I’m feeling stressed because my body starts falling apart bit by bit in odd ways. If my stress lasts for longer then a week I often end up with a full-blown cold. I remember my first year at college I was predictably sick by the end of finals week each quarter. It is amazing to me that stress hormones are so powerfully damaging in such a short period of time. What’s most shocking is that hormones from chronic stress not only “overwhelm our natural defenses, but they can actually turn them off” (179). This fact makes me worry about the health and learning ability of our school children. Medina (2008) informs us that stressed people are sick more often, are forgetful, they don’t process language very efficiently, they are poorer at math and problem-solving, they have difficulty concentrating, they cannot adapt old information to new scenarios, and they are more likely to fall into depression. All of these effects are tremendously harmful to a child’s well-being!
By the end of the chapter I felt convinced that something has to be done to mitigate the stress in childrens (and adults) lives. I really liked Medina’s idea about educating the parents first and offering marital counseling. Perhaps if parents understand the damaging effects of stress they may be more conscious about either not exposing their child to worries/fights, or working harder to create a stress free home life. I also thought about ways that I could create a low stress environment in my math classes. This is a tough balancing act because I want to set high expectations and be firm in my deadlines and grading but I also don’t want to place too much pressure on students. I think the trick is to show students that I understand that life is unpredictable and difficult events will come up. In these situations I will be understanding and flexible. I want my students to learn that life will always bring challenges and sometimes it’s best to push through as normal and other times it’s necessary to step back and ask for help.
Samantha Peterson bPortfolio 